LETTER: In response to ‘Is anyone listening’

Thursday

Oct 4, 2018 at 8:00 AMOct 5, 2018 at 9:51 AM

This Letter to the Editor was featured in the Oct. 4 print edition of the Arlington Advocate.Letters to the Editor are due by 9 a.m. on Monday to arlington@wickedlocal.com. Please keep letters to 400 words or less and include the name, street and phone number of author. Phone numbers are not published.

I was disappointed in the Sept. 20 letter to the editor implying that volunteer town boards are not listening to Arlington residents. As a member of the Library Board of Trustees and the Reimagining Our Libraries working group (representatives from the library board of trustees, library support groups, library staff, and town Facilities Department staff), I participated in every meeting of the ROL project as we seek to create a collective vision for the future of our libraries with community needs front and center.

Hundreds of town residents have taken the opportunity through public meetings and surveys to make their voices heard and I can assure you that feedback has been seriously considered and incorporated into the initial schematic designs by Ann Beha Architects and residents will continue to be engaged as design phases progress.

I object to the characterization that the schematic design for the Fox Library is a “one-story glass box” where library patrons’ privacy would not be respected. ABA and the ROL working group heard clearly that natural light would be a great improvement to the building in addition to restoring the Massachusetts Avenue entrance. Additionally, Arlington’s libraries are committed to protect the privacy of library patrons to the fullest extent of the law. Our library adheres to the American Library Association Code of Ethics, which includes the following statement: “We protect each library user’s right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted.”

Secondly, the ROL working group required that Fox Library schematic designs allow for the possibility to support additional stories to be added to the building. The working group did, in fact, listen to Arlington residents and this was incorporated into the design by ABA. These designs are not final construction documents but a guide to help us all understand what is possible and, more importantly, to get a sense of what the project might cost. Resident input was critical to the design of these buildings, which will continue to be refined in the coming years.

Any member of the public may share further input with the library director and trustees via email, mail or by speaking during community time at the monthly library trustee meetings. I look forward to continuing this conversation and working together to bring the best libraries possible to our community.

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